title: Adverse consequences of unintended pregnancy for maternal and child health in Nepal.
abstract: In Nepal, 26%-38% of recent births are estimated to be from unintended pregnancies, but little is known whether these pregnancies have adverse consequences for the health of the mother and child. Data from the 2011 Nepal Demographic and Health Survey are used to examine the hypothesis that unintended pregnancies are associated with negative health outcomes for both mothers and children. When the pregnancy was unintended (compared with when it was intended) mothers were more likely to receive inadequate prenatal care (odds ratio OR = 1.50; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.28-1.77). They were also more likely to opt for home births (OR = 1.30; 95% CI = 1.11-1.52). Likewise, the resultant newborns of unintended pregnancies were more likely to receive inadequate immunization (OR = 1.18; 95% CI = 1.00-1.40) and to remain stunted (OR = 1.25; 95% CI = 1.00-1.56). Findings suggest significant associations between unintended pregnancy and negative health outcomes for both mothers and children in Nepal.
authors.affiliation: International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, India abhi_iips@yahoo.co.in.
authors.forename: Abhishek
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Azim Premji University, Bangalore, India.
authors.forename: Ashish
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Public Health Institute, Washington, DC, USA Geneva Foundation for Medical Education and Research, Geneva, Switzerland Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lalitpur, Nepal.
authors.forename: Shyam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Thapa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D000067576:Child Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D000068097:Maternal Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009390:Nepal; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011247:Pregnancy; D049168:Pregnancy, Unplanned; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014611:Vaccination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: Nepal; home births; inadequate immunization; inadequate prenatal care; stunting; unintended pregnancy